Hurricanes and Hot Towers with TRMM

Students will think about their experiences with hurricanes and severe storms, then learn the basics of what causes hurricanes to form. Students will learn how hurricane prediction has progressed, and how satellites can help us understand storms.

In this lesson, students will think about their experiences with hurricanes and severe storms, and then learn the basics of what causes hurricanes to form. Students will learn how hurricane prediction has progressed, and how satellite technology is used to see inside storms to get improved data for enhancing computer-based mathematical models. To share what they’ve learned, students will create a news report (script or comic strip) to tell others about hurricanes and hurricane prediction.

First, activate students background information by asking them about their experiences with hurricanes and severe storms, and showing them images of the effect of hurricanes. Show students a video that explains the three factors that are needed for hurricanes to form: warm water, moist air, and converging winds, and make sure they understand and take notes. Next, explain why it’s important that we predict the path of hurricanes, and show students how hurricane prediction has changed since the days when we only had ground observations – now we have radar, satellites, and computer models to improve our predictions. Show students how satellites like TRMM collect data about hurricanes, including a video about “hot towers” that have been shown to be correlated with hurricane intensification. Finally, have students share what they have learned by creating a news report or weather forecast (read as a script or created as a comic strip) about an incoming hurricane. This may also include information about hurricane preparedness.